Tier 5: Depth Deals
These are budget-friendly veterans or journeymen who bolster the roster’s back end. Maybe not starters, but insurance against injuries or youth struggles.
Marquise Brown, Darius Slayton, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Stephon Gilmore, Diontae Johnson, Dyami Brown
The wide receiver room’s a hot mess—Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks spent 2024 spinning their wheels, none stepping up as the guy. Worse, they’re all free agents by 2027, and Watson’s torn ACL from the regular season finale will cost him significant time next season.
Enter the speed freaks: Marquise Brown, Darius Slayton, and—hello, old pal—Marquez Valdes-Scantling. These burners won’t rewrite the depth chart, but they’ll stretch defenses like taffy, giving Jordan Love a deep-ball jolt while Watson heals. Think of ‘em as human jetpacks—fast, flawed, and cheap.
Then there’s Diontae Johnson and Dyami Brown. Both flash legit WR2 vibes—Johnson’s got hands, Brown’s got hops—but they lack consistency. They’re more “maybe next week” than “every Sunday.” Still, on a prove-it deal, they’re low-risk dice rolls to tide things over.
The outlier of this group is Stephon Gilmore.
At 34, he’s creakier than a Lambeau bleacher, but the tank’s not empty—he’s still got some cornerback swagger. A one-year rental lets Green Bay patch the secondary while they groom a draft pick for 2026.
It’s a win-now Band-Aid and a win-later setup—Gutekunst’s kind of sneaky twofer. Gilmore would be their bridge to a long-term solution.
These aren’t the stars; they’re the glue, and sometimes that’s the difference.